Dave SpechtFounder, Advising Generations

Dave Specht is the founder of Advising Generations, a family business consulting firm and technology company. In addition to advising generational farm and ranch families around the country, he also speaks and writes extensively on the topic of transitioning farms to the next generation.

“My work is to preserve families and perpetuate farm legacies by creating technology tools and processes that allow for successful transitions of ownership and management of farming operations,” he says. “Doing my work well has an impact on the family, the community, the agriculture industry as a whole and the entire world because farmers feed the world.“

When he opens a keynote, Dave describes himself as a “farm kid from San Diego." While his two 4-H pigs don’t make him a traditional farmer, he has dedicated himself to perpetuating farms and ranches. His work is consistently featured in Successful Farming Magazine, Progressive Cattlemen, Drovers CattleNetwork and other major agriculture publications.

Dave developed the Family Business Management curriculum being taught in the University of Nebraska’s Ag Economics College and College of Business. He has lectured at prestigious places like Cornell University’s Dairy Executive Program and in humble community halls in tiny rural towns to spread the message of farm continuity.

"I want the generational succession planning process to become more approachable and less scary for farm families," he says. "My main goal is to keep family relationships saf through this delicate and sometimes conflict-laden process."

He recently created a mobile app called Inspired Questions For Farmers that helps families start the conversation about generational transitions. He is also the author of a new ag book, The Farm Whisperer-Secrets to Preserving Families and Perpetuating Farms.

“The future of agriculture is bright, but we need to create a clearer path to ownership and management for the next generation, and raise a generation that has an ownership mentality, rather than a farm-hand mentality,” Dave says. “By tackling the tough questions and putting plans in place, we will position a prepared and capable next generation to take us successfully into the future.”